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GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

28A

SUBJECT: MR. IRVIN ROBBINS (R)

INTERVIEWER (I)

I: Mr. Irvin Robbins of 933 N.W. 36th Terrace. The time is 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 30, 1971.

Mr. Robbins when you first knew...when you first...well, where

were you born?

R: Here in Goinesville.

I: Uh, were there many Jewish families living in Gainesville at

the time you were born?

R: Well, maybe for those days it was a lot of Jewish families, but

for the present standard, no.

I: About how many?

R: Ten to twelve.

I: Did you have a Jewish synagogue?

R: No.

I: Can you remember when the first one was built ?

R: Yes, I remember.

I: Do you know the date?

R: Around 1924.

I: And where was it?

R: At the present location, that is, we've just disposed of.

I: Okay.

R: The street I don't rmemeber; I don't know the name of the street.

I: And when was the second one built, the new one?

R: Never has been another one.

I: Well, the one where you

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GHS 28A

R: That's not a, that's not a synagogue; that's an educational center.

I: Well we have all our services there.'

R: Yea. You can have services at home. But uh, that's eight, nine

ten years ago, approximately.

I: Was there much prejudice shown towards you or your family for

being Jewish in your early years?

R: It was there. It just uh, I don't know if it's what you...

I: Were there signs, like burning crosses, or...

R: No, I don't think so. Not in Gainesville.

I: Ocala?

R: Not to my knowledge. Had the Ku Klux Klan there.

I: Did, y'know, did the Ku Klux Klan come talk to you and threaten.

R: No. We used to pray.

I: Um, your...I understand your name used to Rabinowitz.

R: That's right.

I: Could you tell me why you changed it to Robbins?

R: Well, I guess it goes back to my uncle who lived in New York who

changed his name to Robbins. My oldest brother had a orchestra, instead

of saying R Rabinowitz, he shortened it to Robbins. So we, all the

oys followed suit.

I: But it wasn't because of prejudice towards you for being Jewish?

R: Prejudice toward me, embarrassed at the fact, embarrassed at the fact

that my name was Jewish? No. No.

I: ...No, no, that...

R: Everybody, everybody, all my friends were always Jewish. It was

never hidden.

I: How did they, being Jewish affect your business when you first

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GHS 28A

opened it up, or...

R: My business, here? My present business? No.

I: Not at all.

R: Well I don't put a sign in front of my store that I'm a Jew.

I: No, but you know how...

R: No. No.

I: Well, did you have a store, a business any other town, city...?

R: Starke, I had a business there for 17 years.

I: Was there any prejudice down in Starke towards being Jewish?

R: I think there was less there than here.

I: Less? Uh, did you have services every Friday and Saturday night

that you wentto, or, not before the Temple was built? Did you meet

at someone's house?

R: I can't exactly recall where they met, but I know on the higher

holidays we met at the Masonic Temple downtown, but I can't recall where